


Pas de Deux

by zimsbitty (axolotls)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Songfic, kind of?, this is basically all about jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 12:47:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6658345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axolotls/pseuds/zimsbitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's all they talk about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pas de Deux

**Author's Note:**

> All characters and content belong to [Ngozi](http://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/)
> 
> The song and title are from [Pas de Deux](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8GsjVrtKM) by Dodie Clarke

_Poppy's a dancer_  
_Just turned 16_  
_Stares at boys who wear glasses  
_ _In look magazines_

 

He’s all they talk about.

A prodigy.  A legacy.  Great things can be expected of Jack Zimmermann, son of Bad Bob himself –

They think he’ll match up.  Maybe even surpass his father in ability; it’s too early to tell, but they’re hopeful.

(But he has a secret.)

 

 

 _Here comes Tommy_  
_With glasses and all_  
_Flowers in hand and ambitious plans  
_ _It's not hard to fall_

 

 

He’s all they talk about.

Strong and agile, lithe and fast; another prodigy.  He grins easily and flirts easier; they say he’s gorgeous on the ice. 

(Jack tells him he’s gorgeous off it, too.)

 

 

 _She's walking on rivers_  
_he lifts her above_  
_she's full of belonging  
_ _and so full of love_

 

 

It’s all they talk about.

Their futures, their game, the way their bodies move together on the ice.

(They like the way their bodies move together off it, too.)

 

 _Things get a bit louder_  
_Tommy's focused on plans_  
_His smile's replaced with an aggressive face  
_ _But she'll still hold his hand._

 

 

It’s all they talk about.

Parson or Zimmermann?  Who will take on the world?  Who will prove himself the number one prodigy?

They’re neck and neck in skill, in determination, in a lot of things. 

(But Kent is the only one who's still smiling.)

 

 

 

 _Now she's given up dancing_  
_Tommy says she's too old_  
_He says focus on me but she disagrees  
_ _While she does as she's told_

 

 

Everyone is talking about it.

It’s a tragedy, at first.  What a shame, poor boy.

It’s a crime, next.  What a disappointment, what a waste, he was weak all along, wasn’t he?

(It’s not the first time they say exactly what Jack’s thinking.)

 

 

_Are you walking on eggshells_  
_And when push comes to shove_  
_Are you full of belonging  
_ _But not full of love_

 

 

No one is talking about it.

No one knows, except for Jack and his parents and Kent himself, of course.

He spends awhile in rehab, and a little more at home.

(Jack’s not sure he wants it to be over.)

 

 _Back to the studio_  
_Where she was told not to go_  
_Feeling sick with guilt, the tension builds  
_ _As she opens the door_

 

He won’t talk about it.

He won’t talk about it, and for once they don’t make him.

Everyone’s so young and inexperienced, delighted to be there.

(Jack still isn’t sure.)

 

 

 _And what else would be there_  
_But a trusting pair  
_ _Of strong bodies, lacking in worries, performing a pas de deux_

 

He talks about it.

Only to Shitty, though; he’s trustworthy.

No one else will hear these words for a long time.

(He can finally feel the ice calling him again.)

 

 

 _I am not right_  
_Yes this is what's right_  
_Souls, and hearts and minds intertwined  
_ _No, I won't be defined by him anymore._

 

They talk about random things.

College is weird, and their conversations reflect that.

It’s a comfortable, warm environment, even on the ice.

(Jack decides he’s Team Attic.)

 

 

  _Are you walking on eggshells?_  
_And when push comes to shove,_  
_Are you full of belonging,  
__But not full of love?_

 

His parents talk about how proud they are.

He’s Captain, finally, and he’s got prospects.

He’s got prospects, and friends, and he’s not all okay but he thinks he can see a time when he might be.

(Jack’s finally sure.)

 

 

_So goodbye to Tommy_  
_And hello to Sam,_  
_He doesn't wear glasses, but he loves how she dances  
_ _And he'll hold her hand._

 

 

He talks so much.

Sings under his breath, peppers his sentences with endearments like seasonings, says the right words.

He’s small, but fast, and he wants to succeed, but he won’t let anything distract him from goodness.  He listens when Jack talks.

(Jack starts to talk a lot.)

 

 _Yes Poppy's a dancer,_  
_with plans of her own_  
_you'll see her and partner_  
_performing a pas de deux  
_ _in the old studio_

 

 

He doesn’t enjoy their talk.

Maybe it was necessary, likely long overdue, but it’s like the lash of a whip to his chest, opening old wounds that ooze something pungent over what he’s built here.  He’s angry, but it fades at another voice.

A voice like cinnamon and sugar cane, a boy made of raw sunlight.  He knows when to talk, when to support, when to hold.  He’s got a job and friends and a something more, and he doesn’t need to look back to know what happiness feels like.

(This time it’s not fragile.)

(This time it’s strong.)

(This time, it will last.)

 

 

 _She's walking on rivers_  
_He lifts her above_  
_they're full of belonging  
_ _and so full of love_

 

Everyone’s talking.

He hears a little of it, pure joy from their friends and family, championing from activists, cheering from the crowds.  He’s the first of what will one day be so many it won’t matter, but right now he’s making the kind of history he’d studied at college.

There’s probably backlash somewhere, but neither of them care.  Jack’s got two Stanley Cup wins under his belt and Bitty’s a famous baker, but more importantly they’ve got each other.  Out in the open, together by choice, and now bound by love and law alike.

They keep secrets from the world, but never from each other.  They share everything, long kisses and heated nights, taxes and washing up duties, dreams and heartbeats and eventually school runs, and college funds, and everything else that goes with being in love.

 

 

(One night Bitty asks Jack if he believes in soulmates.

‘Well,’ he replies with a smile, ‘I kind of have to, don’t I?’)

**Author's Note:**

> I was supposed to be finishing chapter two of my Hogwarts AU but I couldn't get this song out of my head. 
> 
> The song's not word for word the same as Jack's relationship with Kent but it's got the same feel. I wasn't trying to write a version of Jack's story to these lyrics, rather use them to convey what I interpret happened.
> 
> Eh, never written a fic like this before so I hope it's okay! Plus if you don't already know this song you should listen to it asap because it is b e a u t i f u l.
> 
> Also this is kind of about the difference between past Kent/Jack and current/future Jack/Bitty. Kent and Jack were a thing which was great for awhile but then it disintegrated and honestly their relationship (not romantic at this point) is super unhealthy when Kent comes back. This fic is about Jack so you see him move on to a healthy relationship where he's actually in real love (Ngozi said that Jack's never been in love before Bitty so we can assume Jack/Kent was probs v. passionate but not like ~true love~ or w/e) so I don't deal with what happens to Kent but like, we can assume that he finally lets go and goes on to be v happy with someone in his personal life as well as his hockey career. I kind of imagine Jack and Kent never really being close again but maybe having like a mutual understanding and respect for each other but like that didn't fit into this fic so it's here as a headcanon I guess.
> 
> Also whether or not soulmates are real is kind of irrelevant, that bit's just about Jack being a smitten kitten who will literally never love anyone as much as he loves Bitty (also he's a sap lbh) (Bitty is the same on both counts).
> 
> [find me here](http://zimsbitty.tumblr.com/)


End file.
